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Knights of the Covenant
The Barbarian Wars had taught the leaders of Harsonia two very valuable lessons; that working together was far more effective than working separately, and that without any cohesive military force, Harsonia was just waiting to be picked apart by her neighbors. Seeing this, the Wartime Covenant became the Covenant of Harsonia, a council of seven leaders, one from each House. Each of the leaders of the Covenant also made it their duty to directly oversee the establishment, and maintenance, of a unified Harsonian military. The Covenant adopted the heavily-armored force of mounted knights used by the former Order of the Silver Shield, enlisting and training soldiers in the art of war. Over the years, Harsonian knights became masters at martial combat, both on foot and on the backs of armored iguanodons. Within ten years of their defeat, the Covenant of Harsonia had the city back on its feet and rising quickly as a dominating power in Zimildran. The Knights of the Covenant The only sort of governing body in Harsonia, the Knights of the Covenant are the enforcers and protectors of the nation. There are many soldiers who belong to the Covenant, and the army of Harsonia, while it hasn't been tested in some time, is still substantial. However, when one speaks of the Knights of the Covenant, they are usually speaking of one of the seven Knight Commanders, the highest ranking officers of the Covenant forces, descended from the seven guilds of Harsonia. Currently the Knights are on their second generation of leaders, the current Knight Commanders being Wessen, Tyberius, Gaius, Arcturus, Emiliar, Sheria, and Bartholomew. Of those seven, four are still in the capital city of Harsonia. The others have been sent out to help investigate the strange happenings of the other regions. Wessen was sent into the Shadewood with a small contingent of Harsonian and Kotokai soldiers, hoping to find the source of the strange new disease that has sprung up. Arcturus ventured to the north to the Snow Marches to meet with the Snow Marcher clan leaders, answering their call for aid in quelling the uprising of the Outer Clans. Gaius traveled west with a small group of soldiers into Ukinda, to help determine the best course of action against the unknown enemy from the west. The four remaining in the capital have convened many times to debate over how to handle these separate situations should they grow in severity, and it isn't rare for the Knights of the Covenant to call a Council of Voices, where anyone in the city is welcomed to join on the debate for course of action. The Knight Commanders will allow any who wish to speak their concerns or questions in the great amphitheater at the center of the city, and when all who wish have spoken on a subject, the Knight Commanders will come to a decision on how to handle the situation. A Council of Voices can take anywhere between thirty minutes to several hours, depending upon how many citizens show up, how many topics need to be addressed, and the severity of those topics. Joining The Knights The Knights of the Covenant are Harsonia’s central militaristic force, under direct control of the seven Knight-Commanders that make up the Covenant. A young man or woman can join the Knights of the Covenant when they are as young as 10, becoming a Knight’s aide and seeing to the most basic tasks of fetching food, water, and delivering messages. Once they have grown to 12 years old, the aide can become a page, now taking on more important duties such as cleaning the knight’s armor and clothing and tending directing the aides. Once a child has grown to 15 years old, if he has remained in service to the same knight, he can become a squire. Squires have more responsibilities than their younger counterparts, including tending to the knight’s iguanodon mounts, carrying the knight’s weapons of choice, and ensuring a knight has everything they need in any formal or combat situation. Finally, those who have reached the age of 18 and ascended through the ranks of aide, page and squire can become a Knight in the house of one of their lords, the landowners throughout all of Harsonia. Knights are in charge of protecting the lands of their lord and the people who dwell there, and all lords live under the banner of one of the seven Knight-Commanders. It is likely that any person who becomes an aide will remain in the service of the Knights of the Covenant until they die, ascending through the ranks to become a knight, and perhaps even a lord. Should Harsonia muster for war, the knights will compose the bulk of the army, with each lord leading their soldiers in a manner dictated by their Knight-Commander. Every knight learns at a young age the names of their lord, lady, as well as the lord’s family who lives on their land, as well as the names of the six Knight-Commanders. Knights have a strong sense of propriety, of chivalry and duty. They are taught to respect their superiors from their first day as an aide, and they learn well to show respect for authority, and command the same respect in turn. Lords of many knights will promote some to lieutenant or captain, easing the burden of command from the lord. Knight-Captains and Knight-Lieutenants have a set of laws which they may enforce, as dictated by their lord, however for more grievous crimes the knights must bring the transgressor straight to their lord for final judgment. A Knight-Commander has final say in any punishment, a privilege that they often waive simply due to the inconvenience of having to visit their lord’s house and sit through the trial in its entirety. And finally, any crime of high treason is judged by the combined council of the seven Knight-Commanders in the city of Harsonia. The Knight Commanders, the seven leaders of the Covenant who govern the realm, are appointed by the wealthy and prominent members of Harsonia, and then voted in by the other Knight Commanders, with a two-thirds vote deciding. Knight Commanders serve until death, or until they are forced out of office by their peers due to some grave act. This has only happened once, and it was when Knight Commander Christopher was brought forth as a supporter of the ownership and trading of slaves in the northwest, near the Snow Marches and Ukinda. Due to such long terms of service with the Covenant, the Knight Commanders often represent various age groups, from as young as twenty-five, to as old as seventy and possibly even older. The current seven Knight Commanders are Arcturus, Bartholomew, Emiliar, Gaius, Sheria, Tyberius and Wessen. As is custom, a Knight Commander is forced to give up their surname, representing the denouncement of any ties to house of lineage in favor of service to the government. Such a policy has been in place since the Covenant’s founding. Diplomacy Harsonia's central location in Zimildran lends itself to being a convenient meeting place for all four of the major nations. Often, when met with hard times, Ukinda, the Snow Marches, and Kotokai will send a group of envoys to Harsonia to meet with the Knights of the Covenant and discuss what help can be gathered. Generally, the Knights will call a Council of Voices for the envoys, and get the word out to the public about the issues faced by the neighbors of Harsonia. As such, many Harsonians know well how to be diplomatic and official with their guests, understanding the importance of politics, face-saving, and intelligent debate. Many high-ranking members of the Knights of the Covenant take it upon themselves to learn the native languages of the other nations to better empathize with their leaders and people. Of all of their neighbors, Harsonians generally find the Kotokai the easiest to deal with. The Kotokai are a reasonable and patient people by nature, and Emperor Urtada of the Kotokai capital is wise in the ways of business. Some Harsonians still harbor contempt for the Snowmarchers from the north, seeing them as the aggressors in the Barbarian Wars, yet much of the hostilities between these two nations has subsided. The Ukindans prefer to stay away from the civilizations of the east, primarily Harsonia, seeing the city's emphasis on technological advancement as a crime against the natural ways of the world. Oftentimes finding itself to be the host of many travelers between the other nations, some of the more wealthy Harsonians came together and created the Merchant's Guild, a group of wealthy nobles and traders who oversee the market of Harsonia. Selling goods in the city without the proper guild permits is considered a crime, and many of the less-wealthy members of Harsonia complain that the Merchant's Guild is just an establishment to make the rich richer at the expense of others. The Knights of the Covenant are mixed on their feelings of the Guild, seeing it as a sign that some people in Harsonia are already slipping back to old habits, before the Barbarian Wars. The Covenant itself, though, is financially supported by the Merchant's Guild in exchange for the Covenant's protection and enforcement of a list of trade laws that seem to grow by the week. Whenever a group of Covenant officials is sent to the neighboring lands, there is often at least one or two members of the Merchant's Guild with them, hoping to increase their influence across Zimildran as a whole. The other three nations all have varying degrees of acceptance of the Merchants' Guild. The Snowmarchers tolerate the Guild's presence, but with extreme limitations. The Kotokai are quite welcoming of the Guild's presence in their capital, believing it will help stimulate their financial stability.